All over the world countries have gotten into serious debt and are attempting the tricky maneuvering out of the red columns into the black. Some were lucky to have played "monopoly" in their childhood and realize that the game only works when there is a free flow of money, every player has some, taxes are paid and the bank does not run out of money. When this board game is out of balance, one player controls all the property or the bank runs out of money, then, the game is over.
It is interesting to watch how other countries are dealing with this problem. It is always nice to learn from other's mistakes and their successes and then we could avoid the learning curve that can bring so much havoc and bring governments down. Austerity has not worked in Europe. It just brought down the French Government and Greece is toppling towards a far right wing Nazi type over reaction to their economic mess.
When people can't eat or keep a house over their heads there will be riots in the streets. That is how revolutions start.
Our own Republicans in the House want to balance the budget by eliminating "meals on wheels"! and other social programs for the elderly, woman, and disabled. I hate to put those three groups into the same category!
I would hope women had more power to let this not be the case. The Republican approach is to balance the budget through elimination. I remember my monopoly games as a child. When one player drops out, has to go home or loses all his money, the game is soon over. Keep it balanced and the game can go on and on and on.
Here in a nut shell is what happened. There was a Congressional "Super Committee" made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats who were charged with putting away their differences and working for us! They were to come up with ideas to balance the budget through a mixture of tax increases and curtailments
both cutbacks on government waste, analyzing what we simply couldn't afford and altering the tax structure to "more fair and balanced". In order to put some pressure on them to be level headed and get the job done, it became "the law" that if they failed to reach agreement the balancing would be from an automatic 10% reduction in the military budget! What it should have been was to come up with a solution or your fired! We paid them once to work for us and they didn't do their job. Now they want to do it by getting rid of "meals on wheels" and other social programs! That didn't work in Greece and the same reasoning brought down the French Government. It won't work here also.
You have all heard of the expression, "it takes money to make money." When are we going to rebuild our infrastructure? We have leaking water systems and over flowing sewers over a hundred years old! Bridges that are falling down and roads with more potholes than asphalt. Out Inter State road system was built in the 1950's and '60's and has not been attended to since. "Those" were the heydays when we were working and industry all across American would follow the road system. China has better railroads than we do and soon they will have better everything. At one time we spent 17% of our Gross National Product on infrastructure and now it is less than 7%, that is 70% less!
I like the automatic laws that say "fix something" or it will automatically come out of a particular budget.
How about "fix it now" or automatically get a 40% reduction in your wages? Whatever we are paying our congressmen it is too damned much if they can't get 'er done!
Two weeks and I can plant tomatoes!
It is interesting to watch how other countries are dealing with this problem. It is always nice to learn from other's mistakes and their successes and then we could avoid the learning curve that can bring so much havoc and bring governments down. Austerity has not worked in Europe. It just brought down the French Government and Greece is toppling towards a far right wing Nazi type over reaction to their economic mess.
When people can't eat or keep a house over their heads there will be riots in the streets. That is how revolutions start.
Our own Republicans in the House want to balance the budget by eliminating "meals on wheels"! and other social programs for the elderly, woman, and disabled. I hate to put those three groups into the same category!
I would hope women had more power to let this not be the case. The Republican approach is to balance the budget through elimination. I remember my monopoly games as a child. When one player drops out, has to go home or loses all his money, the game is soon over. Keep it balanced and the game can go on and on and on.
Here in a nut shell is what happened. There was a Congressional "Super Committee" made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats who were charged with putting away their differences and working for us! They were to come up with ideas to balance the budget through a mixture of tax increases and curtailments
both cutbacks on government waste, analyzing what we simply couldn't afford and altering the tax structure to "more fair and balanced". In order to put some pressure on them to be level headed and get the job done, it became "the law" that if they failed to reach agreement the balancing would be from an automatic 10% reduction in the military budget! What it should have been was to come up with a solution or your fired! We paid them once to work for us and they didn't do their job. Now they want to do it by getting rid of "meals on wheels" and other social programs! That didn't work in Greece and the same reasoning brought down the French Government. It won't work here also.
You have all heard of the expression, "it takes money to make money." When are we going to rebuild our infrastructure? We have leaking water systems and over flowing sewers over a hundred years old! Bridges that are falling down and roads with more potholes than asphalt. Out Inter State road system was built in the 1950's and '60's and has not been attended to since. "Those" were the heydays when we were working and industry all across American would follow the road system. China has better railroads than we do and soon they will have better everything. At one time we spent 17% of our Gross National Product on infrastructure and now it is less than 7%, that is 70% less!
I like the automatic laws that say "fix something" or it will automatically come out of a particular budget.
How about "fix it now" or automatically get a 40% reduction in your wages? Whatever we are paying our congressmen it is too damned much if they can't get 'er done!
Two weeks and I can plant tomatoes!
2 comments:
Jerry..I so agree. If I don't balance my budget..then all hell breaks loose and I have to go without. I do wish we could fire the people in Washington..lets see how they do with no money in their own pockets and lifetime health insurance. In Utah..if you are a member of the State Legislature for 10 years..we citizens then pay your health insurance until the day you and your spouse die! We had a horrible guy, who said very racists things..made Paul Ryan and Rush look like pussycats. He managed to stay in for 10 yrs. to the day and "retired". He admitted he needed the health insurance since he and his wife were sickly. This man was so against helping others..yet those very people he maligned now have to pay his health insurance. We can hope for Karma to take over soon. We also are paying for people who have long since left the state..retirement from the legislature and health insurance. My sons and I think we missed our calling..go to Washington, then get a salary for life and great health care benefits...
Surely this can't continue for much longer. I say lets get austere on the lawmakers and start spending money on our country.
I am trying to get my small garden ready for planting. The big garden just won't happen without a major influx of cash!!!! Have a great day
Excising government waste. I suspect it is the whole answer in a nutshell.
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